The Confident Indie Blog

June --
I don't know anything about how to file keep getting the run around
heather
exotic dancer
tecumseh
OK
Heather didn't really ask a question here but I think it important to once again alert indies. In general, indies should not prepare their own taxes. It's complicated. What they should do [...]

Ms. Walker, I first found your book at Tattered Cover in Denver, CO on indie taxes, etc. I had not filled taxes for 10 years and a friendly irs man helped me, with the assistance from your book. Because of your book I was able to do all of my taxes - 10 yrs [...]

Hi June,
Bought your book, Self-employed TAX Solutions, about a month or two ago. Great Information!
ok so i got two accountants I'm talking to. One's price is about 100 bux but has no music teachers or musicians as clients. He says it's just letting him know the deductions but he did know about some of [...]

Indies -- we know that we're different and that the IRS looks at us with some suspicion - here I give a special thank you to the bamboozlers who keep writing books on how to set up a phony home business as a tax shelter.
It's no surprise, therefore, that as the IRS steps [...]

Hi June,
I am an avid reader, fan and follower of yours and help to run an indie design agency with my husband for the past 6 years. Had a quick question (hopefully), to ask your help and advice on a daunting task. We recently relocated from Florida to Charleston SC...a very good move [...]

Dear June,
Haha, quick question. I am CERTAIN I have read this in your 2nd edition book or on your blog, but I cannot find it after diligent searching through both.
If I am a salaried W2 worker but blog on the side and earn less than $400 net after my expenses, don't [...]

I just heard from Annette, a cosmetologist in Santa Rosa, Ca. Annette said: "My accountant knows more than I do about my own self-employment taxes, and I have always felt intimidated by her. I need another tax person/advice! Thanks, Annette"
Let's think about this a moment ... the woman knows more than you do [...]

Hi again, June,
Well, today is a big indie day, isn't it? The President signed the Small Business Jobs Act.
But I, for one, am confused about capital expenditures vs "bonus depreciation".
I am a consulting psychologist in private practice [for 25 years], and was going to buy a new computer. I [...]

June,
I always find your expertise invaluable!
I recently got beat in an audit and I know I really did not get beat I just did not know how to represent myself so the end result is I lost.
I do have another question, last yr I had to leave the area [...]

Hi June,
Thank you so much for your wonderful tax tips --Maze Archives.
I'm wondering if you might shed some light on a particular tax issue.
Last year (2009) my wife agreed to a (rather small) settlement for damages due to a physical injury caused by her work. She was [...]

No surprise to all of you, I'm sure, that my posts have been minimal these last weeks. Well, it's tax season and client deadlines take precedence. I did want to get this out to all of you as a caution about whom to ask about what.
I receive 100s of questions. The ones I [...]

Hello June,
Your site has a wealth of information, thank you.
I have a small Internet business on the side with my main job as an employee of an engineering firm. I get and file the w-2 from them and I pay that self employment tax as well. The IRS sends me a [...]

ahoy June,
happy new year!
I did some research on possible local tax preparers with experience with indies. Here are two that I just contacted: #1 XXX, name & website here. He is estimating ~$350 total, depending on how organized I am (which i believe i am pretty organized as far as possible [...]

Indies, let's get a jump on the New Year by looking at how you look at your business.
This post was sparked by an email I received from an indie copywriter in Illinois which concluded by saying that my seminar, website and blog provided a "vast array of resources" for the self-employed. Then she [...]

Hi June,
I have been a software developer for 15 years in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Loved your book and I have a question about the statute of limitations for refunds that maybe you can address in your blog.
Here is a direct quote from the tax code section 6511:
"Claim for credit or [...]

Hi,
I'm a freelance writer/consultant in San Francisco, finishing my taxes, and would greatly appreciate a small bit of help/clarification.
As a full-time freelancer with no employer health plan, can I deduct the full cost of my health insurance payments? I have no access to a partner's plan or COBRA.
Last year [...]

June, June, June.....WHY didn't I discover your site, 10 years ago. For most of those 10 years, I used a guy to do my taxes who obviously knows nothing of the tax code. He indicated to me that a large % of my deductions were not tax deductible because I was reimbursed for them. BUT [...]

Dear June,
I feel more confident than ever about how I file my taxes after reading your book,Self-employed TAX Solutions.
Do you ever "review" past filings (especially during the off season!) to evaluate any areas of concern or improvement?
-- Lisa
Dear Lisa,
You've sent me several emails [...]

Hi June:
This is probably a stupid question, but does the accountant that does my taxes need to be in the same state?
Thanks!
Carrie
Hi Carrie,
I'm sure you've heard that the only stupid question is the one unasked.
No, your tax pro does not have to [...]

Oh, thank you indies! I am so pleased to know that you read my info and use it in your professional life. Congratulations. It does my indie-accountant heart good.
Here are a few of the emails that I received about You Do Not Need A Business Checking Account and There's no shortage of bad [...]

Indies, an alert: Be careful. Know your source.
Sammy Segar, CPA, is the composite figure I use in my writings to depict the tax pro who totally misunderstands indie life; my recent post, You Do Not Need A Business Checking Account, woke the real Sammy Segars out of their after-lunch naps.
Last Friday [...]

June:
I saw your post on Turbo Tax, and I am now completely confused. I own a small web programming company (sole prop) LLC in Ohio, and I would usually use Turbo Tax... What do you recommend now? It's such a late date, and I am sure most accountants are too busy for a [...]

The advertising for tax preparation software gets heavy during tax season and this year it seems like a heavier barrage than usual. Turbo Tax and other tax programs are blitzing the Internet with promotion, some of it well disguised. For instance, Turbo Tax has an arrangement with Comcast, describing itself as "the official tax software [...]

Hi June,
I'm a fan of your blog, and have not been able to find an answer to this question.
I'm a graphic designer who has been working as an independent contractor for a small publishing company/printer for almost 4 years. I also do other freelance work from time to time. Until a [...]

Hi June,
I am a Validation Consultant new to the indie world and want to know if it's better to hire a tax pro to prep/file my taxes or is it just as good to do it with something like Turbo Tax?
Is the IRS suspicious of indies who do their own taxes, [...]

Hello Ms. Walker,
Me and my husband are self-employed artists.
The question that I have for you doesn't really belong to the self employed category, though. Here it is: I have a trust that sends me 1099's. This year, the 1099B said that my proceeds from an exchange,(a trust merger) gave me a [...]

June --
My gentleman is an architect who went independent in 2007.
He has had a few small projects, plus one client who paid him for the 2 weeks-worth of work, but deducted the taxes like they would for an employee. Now he wants to have his taxes done, and has income from [...]

I choose questions from indies that I think will be most helpful to the most people. I stay away from questions about unique situations that won't be informative to a lot of you. The situation below, from Michelle, although unique has a number of situations that apply to a lot of indies.
I've noted [...]

June --
My husband has been self employed architect since 1991.
Since its inception, we have had a small business health insurance plan NOT INDIV with me as one employee.
Each year I issue a small paycheck to myself for my bookkeeping services and pay payroll taxes on it. The cost of [...]

Hi June,
We have been web designers and web programmers for 2 years. I would like to know the following. I am married and we both work together out of the house. How do we file our taxes - self-employed jointly???
Thanks.
Elizabeth
Las Vegas, NV
Elizabeth
Self-employment has [...]

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I just purchased your book Self Employed Tax Solutions, and let me start by saying this is the first time I have written an email to an author. I’m only in the third chapter and am so happy about the …Dean Iodice

I recently bought your book, and wanted to tell you what you already know – it’s terrific. So many great common-sense features. In addition to my “indie” business, I’ve also been a tax preparer for an…James M. Beidler

I purchased a couple of books re: self employment taxes. I like yours (Self-employed Tax Solutions) because it’s written in plain language. The JK Lasser book (Small Business Taxes) appears to be writ…Linda Gordon

I read Self-employed Tax Solutions from cover to cover in about 3 days (I finished it today), and found it engaging and well written. That’s high praise for a book on taxes. I’ve read other tax books ……Paul Plamondon